HMS Nottingham - Northumberland & Northeast

Forget your tropical blue water wrecks, the HMS Nottingham gives you proper, gritty UK diving, and we absolutely love it for that. This isn't some pristine, untouched museum piece; it's a Birmingham-class light cruiser, sunk in 1913, and the North Sea has had its way with her. What’s left is a truly impressive, broken-up mass of steel that still holds the shape of a ship, making for some fascinating navigation. We’d suggest planning your dive for slack water, always, because the currents here can be a serious drag. Drop down, and you’re into a world of green and grey, but don’t let that fool you. The metalwork is completely encrusted with dead man's fingers and colourful anemones, a genuinely surprising splash of colour against the rusted steel. Look into the shadows of the twisted plates and you'll spot lobsters eyeing you from their hidey-holes, and if you’re lucky, a curious seal might even come for a closer look. Exploring the Nottingham feels like you’re peeling back layers of history, with each penetration into the larger sections revealing a bit more of her past, now home to armies of squat lobsters and crabs. It’s a dive that rewards slow exploration and a good torch, perfect for those who appreciate the atmospheric beauty of a cold-water wreck.

Location

Northumberland & Northeast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe

Coordinates

55.491707, -1.251629

Type

wreck

Marine Protected Area: Farnes East